Troy Andersen led the Bobcats to a Gold Rush victory Thursday night.
Bailey's fourth field goal lifts Bobcats
8/30/2018 10:35:00 PM | Football, General
Tristen Bailey's fourth field goal of the game, this time from 25 yards out, gave Montana State a season-opening 26-23 win over visiting Western Illinois Thursday night at Bobcat Stadium.
In an attempt to catch-up, WIU was forced to go for it on fourth down from midfield with under 2 minutes to play. Bryce Sterk's fourth sack of WIU quarterback Sean McGuire, iced the Bobcats' win in front of a Gold Rush crowd of 18,507.
Sterk, a transfer from Washington, got his third sack in the third quarter to force a WIU punt. Kevin Kassis returned the ball 32 yards to set up Bailey's third field goal, a booming 50-yarder that tied the game at 23. Kassis finished with 187 all-purpose yards.
MSU got two running touchdowns from Troy Andersen, making his first start at quarterback since his high school days in the fall of 2016. Andersen ran for 145 yards on 24 carries, and, after a slow start, finished with 12 completions in 21 attempts for 81 yards. His 14-yard run to open the third quarter, tied the game at 13, and his 24-yard scamper at the end of the quarter tied it at 20.
WIU won the battle of statistics, gaining 317 yards to MSU's 239, and 18 first downs to MSU's 12. But Bailey's game winner gave the Bobcats their only lead of the game, just when they needed it.
WIU's McGuire threw three touchdown passes to Steve McShane, but each time Andersen, Bailey and the Bobcats answered. McGuire completed 20 of 31 passes for 164 yards, but after throwing just seven interceptions last season, he threw two against MSU.
Bailey hit two field goals early to keep the score close at halftime. The junior college transfer answered each of WIU's touchdowns. His second kick, a 47-yarder, was the final play of the first half, and trimmed the score to 13-6.
Bailey's second kick was set up when Brayden Konkel got MSU's second interception of the night. This season he's a safety, but as a linebacker in 2017, Konkel came up with two of the team's five interceptions. Earlier in the second quarter, Virginia Tech transfer Jahque Alleyne stepped in front of an errant McGuire pass. MSU didn't get its second interception last year until the eighth game. Unfortunately, Alleyne was helped off the field in the third quarter with a knee injury. Moments later, MSU linebacker Balue Chapman also left with a knee injury.
Andersen gained 74 of his yards in the first half, but missed his first four pass attempts. Overall, WIU outgained MSU 183 to 83 in the first half and had the ball for over 18 minutes. The Bobcats had just two first downs in the early going.
In an attempt to catch-up, WIU was forced to go for it on fourth down from midfield with under 2 minutes to play. Bryce Sterk's fourth sack of WIU quarterback Sean McGuire, iced the Bobcats' win in front of a Gold Rush crowd of 18,507.
Sterk, a transfer from Washington, got his third sack in the third quarter to force a WIU punt. Kevin Kassis returned the ball 32 yards to set up Bailey's third field goal, a booming 50-yarder that tied the game at 23. Kassis finished with 187 all-purpose yards.
MSU got two running touchdowns from Troy Andersen, making his first start at quarterback since his high school days in the fall of 2016. Andersen ran for 145 yards on 24 carries, and, after a slow start, finished with 12 completions in 21 attempts for 81 yards. His 14-yard run to open the third quarter, tied the game at 13, and his 24-yard scamper at the end of the quarter tied it at 20.
WIU won the battle of statistics, gaining 317 yards to MSU's 239, and 18 first downs to MSU's 12. But Bailey's game winner gave the Bobcats their only lead of the game, just when they needed it.
WIU's McGuire threw three touchdown passes to Steve McShane, but each time Andersen, Bailey and the Bobcats answered. McGuire completed 20 of 31 passes for 164 yards, but after throwing just seven interceptions last season, he threw two against MSU.
Bailey hit two field goals early to keep the score close at halftime. The junior college transfer answered each of WIU's touchdowns. His second kick, a 47-yarder, was the final play of the first half, and trimmed the score to 13-6.
Bailey's second kick was set up when Brayden Konkel got MSU's second interception of the night. This season he's a safety, but as a linebacker in 2017, Konkel came up with two of the team's five interceptions. Earlier in the second quarter, Virginia Tech transfer Jahque Alleyne stepped in front of an errant McGuire pass. MSU didn't get its second interception last year until the eighth game. Unfortunately, Alleyne was helped off the field in the third quarter with a knee injury. Moments later, MSU linebacker Balue Chapman also left with a knee injury.
Andersen gained 74 of his yards in the first half, but missed his first four pass attempts. Overall, WIU outgained MSU 183 to 83 in the first half and had the ball for over 18 minutes. The Bobcats had just two first downs in the early going.
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